Generally, a laundry treatment apparatus is a concept including an apparatus that is capable of washing laundry (objects to be washed), an apparatus that is capable of drying laundry (objects to be dried), and an apparatus that is capable of washing and drying laundry.
Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses are classified into a front loading type laundry treatment apparatus, into which laundry is introduced through an introduction port provided in the front thereof, and a top loading type laundry treatment apparatus, into which laundry is introduced through an introduction port provided in the top thereof.
The top loading type laundry treatment apparatus includes a tub having an introduction port provided in the top thereof, a drum rotatably provided in the tub, and a door for opening and closing the introduction port.
In general, a single large-capacity laundry treatment apparatus is used in each home. When laundry is to be sorted into respective kinds for washing, therefore, the laundry treatment apparatus must be used several times. For example, when laundry, such as adult clothes, and laundry, such as underwear or baby clothes, are to be separately washed, the laundry treatment apparatus is used to wash the former kind of laundry, and then the laundry treatment apparatus is used to wash the latter kind of laundry. As a result, washing time is increased, and power consumption is also increased.
In addition, using a conventional large-sized laundry treatment apparatus to wash a small amount of laundry is not preferable in terms of energy savings. Since a washing course set in the large-sized laundry treatment apparatus is generally used to wash a large amount of laundry, water consumption is high. Furthermore, power consumption to rotate a large-sized drum or inner tub is also high. In addition, since the washing course is used to wash a large amount of laundry, the washing time is relatively long. Furthermore, since the washing course set in the large-sized laundry treatment apparatus is mainly used for general clothes, the large-sized laundry treatment apparatus may not be suitable for washing delicate clothes, such as underwear or baby clothes.
The large-sized laundry treatment apparatus is also not suitable for frequently washing small amounts of laundry. Consumers tend to gather laundry for several days or more in order to wash laundry at once.
If underwear or baby clothes remain unwashed for a long time, it is not sanitary. If such laundry remains unwashed for a long time, dirt may become more strongly adhered to the laundry, with the result that the laundry may not be thoroughly washed. For the above reasons, a small-sized laundry treatment apparatus having a smaller capacity than the large-sized laundry treatment apparatus is required.
If two small-sized laundry treatment apparatuses are installed side by side in each home, however, it is not preferable in terms of space utilization or the external appearance thereof
In recent years, there has been proposed a combination-type laundry treatment apparatus including both a front loading type laundry treatment apparatus and a top loading type laundry treatment apparatus in order to solve the above problem.
The top loading type laundry treatment apparatus is provided on or under the front loading type laundry treatment apparatus in order to wash a small amount of laundry, thereby improving space utilization.
The height of the top loading type laundry treatment apparatus, which is an auxiliary laundry treatment apparatus, is limited. If the top loading type laundry treatment apparatus is high, the washing capacity of the apparatus is increased. In this case, however, it may be difficult for a user to access the top loading type laundry treatment apparatus, since the top loading type laundry treatment apparatus is provided on the front loading type laundry treatment apparatus. For this reason, it is preferable to configure the top loading type laundry treatment apparatus such that the top loading type laundry treatment apparatus is lower than conventional top loading type laundry treatment apparatuses.
The laundry treatment apparatus, particularly the top loading type laundry treatment apparatus, which has a relatively small capacity, is characterized in that the distance between the introduction port and the upper end of the drum is very small. For this reason, foreign matter generated in the tub when the drum is rotated to wash laundry may remain on the door.
In addition, some laundry treatment apparatuses are configured such that the height of the tub is smaller than the diameter of the tub. In this case, a large amount of bubbles are generated in the tub during the rotation of the drum.